Residents trying to cope after days without power in wake of Superstorm Sandy

Jenni Ottaviano, 18, pours gas into her familys' generator in Clifton Heights, Friday. Her family is still without power due to Hurrican Sandy. Times Staff/Julia Wilkinson

CLIFTON HEIGHTS -- Lucy Myers was on her landline phone with her son Monday night wishing him a happy birthday when the line suddenly went dead and her power flipped off.

A few houses up East Washington Avenue, Jenni Ottaviano hollered to her mother after she witnessed an explosion on nearby South Diamond Street. Cindy Ottaviano rushed to the window in time to see a series of transformer boxes exploding outside as superstorm Sandy pummelled Delaware County with heavy rain and sweeping wind gusts.

"You could see them blowing, one after the other all down the street," Cindy Ottaviano said.

Advertisement

As of 2 p.m. Friday, both households were still waiting for PECO to restore power, as were several other households located along the unit block of South Diamond Street and the unit and 100 blocks of East Washington Avenue.

Many residents in the county had placed Sandy behind them, returning to their daily routines shortly after the former hurricane barrelled out of the area. But for the scattered residents still without power, the week had been a struggle to stay warm, save frozen goods and remain positive.

"We'll get by," Cindy Ottaviano said from inside her house, which also incurred water damage. "I'm not happy, but I can get by."

Across the county, 3,800 people were without power Friday morning, according to PECO spokeswoman Karen Muldoon Geus. She said PECO hoped to have power restored to 90 percent of them by midnight and have everyone back up by the end of the weekend.

Muldoon Geus said PECO first acts to restore power to critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants, hospitals, police stations and nursing homes. From there, the company moves on to its largest circuits to get large groups of people restored quickly.

Delaware County had minimal power outages compared to the broader Philadelphia region, where 125,000 people still lacked power Friday, Muldoon Geus said. Bucks County accounted for much of that, with 75,000 people without power. Montgomery County had 38,000 people without power.

Along East Washington Avenue, several households were using generators to run essential appliances, supply some heat and provide some light. Both the Ottaviano and the Myers households were utilizing generators, which brought a constant humming and a series of extension cords crisscrossed on the floors.

Cindy Ottaviano said she was constantly switching the appliances she powered based on need, noting she'd keep the refrigerator and freezer running long enough to maintain suitable temperatures before switching to other appliances. Fortunately, she said, her husband was able to borrow a generator more powerful than the one they own.

"We knew it was going to be a long-term thing," Ottaviano said.

To pass the time, she has been reading while her six children have played board games. Occasionally, Ottaviano said, she'd plug in the TV, but could only get one channel, Fox 29.

Myers said she and her husband, Roy, were using a generator to run their refrigerator, sump pump and a few space heaters. She said she had grown tired of "not being able to take a shower with hot water and not being able to cook."

Myers said they constantly had been using blankets to stay warm, but the worst part had been wondering when power would be restored.